In December, I met a grad student at a house party, and we went on a few dates. Coffee, drinks, the usual. I quickly realized that we weren’t compatible, especially after he made statements like, “I hate sleep. It’s such a waste of productivity.” In those dates, I noticed he wasn’t a very timely texter and would take at least 24 hours to respond to a basic question.

After we met up for drinks for the last time in December, I texted that evening to say it was good to see him and wished him a happy holidays. Over a day later, he responded asking if I wanted to meet up again after New Year’s, and I said (above) that we could but as friends. That was December 21. The conversation ended.

Until February 2, when he texted back, “K. Want to meet up for lunch?”

K. K! As if there had only been a six-minute and not six-week break in our conversation. What?? To be fair, he was abroad for two of those weeks, but that still leaves four OTHER weeks surrounding those two weeks in which texts could have been sent. I sputter thinking about it.

I don’t (want to) know what it says about me that I read so much into gaps in texting time, and I know not everyone has his/her phone attached to his/her hand with a string like a yo-yo, but come on. Six weeks? When would lunch be? In 12 years?